Ukraine orders evacuations in the Donetsk region
In the Ukrainian region of Donetsk, Russian units continue to advance. Authorities are therefore moving children and their families to safety from areas near the front line. Due to the constant drone threat, armored vehicles are being deployed.
Ukraine has ordered the evacuation of children and their guardians from areas in the Donetsk region in the east of the country. "The enemy is bombing the cities and villages of these communities every day, so it was decided to evacuate children with their parents or legal representatives to safety," said the governor of Donetsk, Vadym Filashkin. He published a list of cities and villages in areas where Russia had recently reported ground gains, including the city of Novogrodovka. This is about 20 kilometers away from a village that Russia had captured just hours earlier.
According to the reports, 744 children and their families are affected by the evacuation. Filashkin added that he had instructed the use of armored vehicles because Russia is using kamikaze drones in the communities to be evacuated.
Meanwhile, Moscow reported the capture of another village in eastern Ukraine. Units of the Center troops group have taken Nowoselivka Persha in the Donetsk region, the defense ministry in Moscow said in its daily report. The village is about 20 kilometers away from the city of Avdiivka, which Russia had captured in February. This information cannot be independently verified.
Russia has gradually gained ground in recent months since the Ukrainian counteroffensive failed in the summer of 2023 - and since the capture of Avdiivka, which had served as a fortress for the Ukrainian army. The Donetsk region is one of the four Ukrainian regions whose illegal annexation by Russia was announced in September 2022, despite not being under military control.
The evacuation of children and their families from volatile areas in the Donetsk region is necessary due to ongoing war crimes committed by Russian forces. Filashkin, the governor, mentioned the daily bombing of communities by the enemy, and the use of kamikaze drones as reasons for deploying armored vehicles for evacuation.
